Capitalizing on the Board’s strategic priorities on student achievement, positive culture and well-being, HWDSB launches a three-year Equity Action Plan (2018/19-2020/21). The HWDSB Equity Action Plan applies anti-oppression, critical social justice and human rights perspectives with a goal to intentionally embed the core principles of human rights and equity at the system, school and classroom levels. The plan envisions a culture shift that is built on recognizing and critically challenging historically built-in inequalities and injustices that contribute towards producing inequitable outcomes in the education system.
- School Practices
- Leadership, Governance & Human Resources
- Positive Culture & Well-being
- Data Collection, Integration & Reporting
Goal: Removing systemic barriers to ensure that school and classroom practices reflect and respond to the diversity of the students, staff and community at large.
Objective 1: Strengthen inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy, assessment and resources
- Implementation of Learn. Disrupt. Rebuild @HWDSB- Creating a Community of Care initiative in classrooms. LDR is a collection of human rights education resources/lesson plans on: Mental & Physical Health and Wellness, Understanding Identity and Intersectionality, Exploring Human Rights, Equity & Anti-racism and Empowering Action and Allyship.
- Develop and integrate Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP) approaches to teaching, curriculum, and assessment, including collaborating with diverse communities to ensure representation of diverse voices and perspectives.
- Develop schools’ Equity, Anti-colonial, Anti-racism and Anti-oppression leadership through professional learning and the creation of community of practice/learning for administrators and educators.
- Conduct equity/diversity audit of school resources, including books, media and other resources used in English, History, social sciences and other areas to remove biased and outdated resources using Anti-colonial, Anti-racist and Anti-oppression frameworks.
Objective 2: Supporting student pathway choices
- Establish HWDSB’s strategy to de-streaming in intermediate and secondary schools to identify and eliminate disproportionalities resulting from streaming (Applied vs Academic and other programs and opportunities.)
- Develop partnership with community and post-secondary partners to explore potential programs that will help increase awareness among underrepresented students and their families about post-secondary pathways (including work, apprenticeship, college and university)
- Provide support to Black students through the Graduation Coach for Black Students program and other programs through partners.
- Develop a plan to identify and remove racist and other biases in the guidance system, to address the needs and expectations of all students and their families.
Objective 3: Improved and inclusive community-school partnerships to enhance school and classroom practices and Objective 4: Increase parent engagement
- Strengthen/develop partnerships with community organizations/groups from diverse communities to enhance school/classroom practices.
- Develop strategies to increase representation of diverse communities on School Councils and Board advisory committees
Goal: To create safe, inclusive and engaging learning and work environment where: 1) Staff make-up reflects student diversity; 2) All staff are knowledgeable, committed and accountable to equity.
Objective 1: Accountability for equity and human rights
- Add accountability for equity, human rights, anti-racism, anti-discrimination in principal, vice-principal and supervisory officer performance appraisals
- Add accountability for equity, human rights, anti-racism, anti-discrimination in Director’s performance appraisals.
- Develop and provide human rights and equity leadership trainings/learning for Board of Trustees
- Develop an Annual Equity Accountability Report Card to be included in the Director’s annual report
Objective 2: Enhance diversity in hiring and promotion at all levels
- Report on the result of the employment/hiring equity audit (Employment Process Review)
- Develop Employment/Workplace Equity Action Plan based on the staff census and EPR recommendations
- Consult with staff groups (E.g. Racialized Staff Network) to develop a mentorship and leadership program for Black, Indigenous and other Racialized educators.
- Work with community partners to establish employment programs to integrate internationally-trained teachers and other education workers.
Objective 3: Professional development focused on equity and human rights
- Learning for EC: Learn. Disrupt. Rebuild/Anti-racism and Anti-oppression
- Provide professional learning to identify and address systems of oppressions using human rights, Anti-Colonial, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression frameworks.
- Develop and provide Human Rights Fundamentals training to all staff.
Goal: Create a positive organizational culture and Environment where all students and staff feel safe, supported and accepted.
Objective 1: Review board structures, policies, programs and practices
- Develop a human rights policy and procedure and embed human rights lens in reviewing of all policies and procedures. (See also Objective 3)
- Work with Human Rights and Equity Advisory Committee to develop an Anti-Black Racism policy.
- Conduct an equity audit of school names, mascots and other practices to start decolonizing education spaces.
- Finalize the development of Gender Identity and Gender Expression Procedure and Staff Religious and Creed-based Accommodation Procedure.
Objective 2: Establish and/or strengthen community, staff and/or student advisory committees and groups
- Strengthen the Human Rights, Equity and Well-being Division by resourcing roles dedicated to support the implementation of the Equity Action Plan.
- Support Human Rights and Equity Community Advisory Committee, Faith Community Advisory Committee, and others.
- Support System Positive Space Committee, Racialized Staff Network, Faith/Creed Staff Working Group and others.
- Establish and support student advisory groups and networks: (e.g. Racialized Students Network and Two-Sprit and LGBTQIA+ Students Network. )
Objective 3: Develop safe and inclusive human rights complaints reporting and resolutions structure/Objective 4- Increased commitment to school and workplace free from discrimination and harassment.
- Review current discrimination and harassment reporting structures and develop a human rights policy and procedure
- Develop and adequately resource Human Rights Office to identify and address systemic barriers, to receive and resolve complaints.
- Develop a clear communication plan to students, families and staff on the human rights policy, procedure and complaints process.
- Develop strategies to disaggregate suspension and expulsion data by race to identify and reduce racial disproportionality and disparities.
Goal: Collect and analyze data to address barriers/inequities
Objective 1: Develop a consistent approach to data collection
- Collect identity-based student data/Student Census in accordance with Ontario’s Anti-Racism Act and Data Standards (ARDS)
- Engage students, families, staff and community partners to communicate the purpose of the identity-based student data/student census project.
- Update student registration form(s) and Information System (PowerSchool) to collect voluntary race-based data in accordance with the Ontario Anti-Racism Act/Data Standards.
- Update student registration form(s) and Information System (PowerSchool) to add gender non-binary options to be included when collecting personal information.
Objective 2: Data integration, utilization and reporting
- Using the result of the employment equity audit (Employment Process Review) and the staff census, develop a comprehensive employment equity plan with a specific target to improve diversity of staff at HWDSB.
- Develop strategies to disaggregate suspension and expulsion data by race to identify racial disproportionality and disparities.
- Disaggregate positive school, workplace climate data and other data by race, gender and other identity-based data to be able to identify racial and other disproportionalities and disparities.
Learn more about Human Rights & Equity at HWDSB.
Updated on Friday, September 17, 2021.